Claw-bar.



1. e. vmsoN.

CLAW BAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. m5.

1,171,285. Patented Feb. 8,1916.

l/VVE/VTOR James G. VmsoN,

A TTOR/VEVS rinrinn srarnsl Pa rnnr orat JAMES eaovnn VINSON, or GRAHAlVL KENTUGKY, AssIGNonI or ONE-HALF WILLIAM G, DUNCAN, JR, or GREENVILLE, KENTUCKY.

' crew-EARL To all whom it may concern:

of Graham, in the county of Muhle'nburg.

and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Claw- Bars, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention is an improvement in claw bars, andthe invention has for'its object to provide a bar of the character specified, capable of various uses, and wherein a'lever or handle portion is provided having a claw for engaging. a spike and having pivotally connected with the end adjacent to the claw a shackle having a hook forengag'ing the rail and a heel for engaging the tie, and having a convex rocking surface between the heel and the claw, the pivotal connection between the shackle and the lever being adjustable to permit the relative arrangement of the shackle and the lever to be varied. r

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of the improved bar in use, showing one application of the same; Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are similar views, showing the parts in other positions, and showing other applications of the bar; Fig. dis a similar view showing the bar in folded condition; Fig. 7 is an enlarged top plan view of the lower end of the handle portion of the claw bar with the lowersection removed, and Fig. 8 is a top plan view of'the lower end of the claw bar.

The-present embodiment of the invention 1s shown 1n F1gs.,1 to 5 inclusive, 1n connection with a rail 1, and a cross tie 2, the rail being secured to the tie in the usual manner, by means of spikes 3.

The claw bar consists ofa handle section of metal of suitable length and cross section, and comprising a cylindrical handle or body portion 4:, .and a head 5 of approXi-' mately rectangular cross section integral with the body. The end of the head 5 re mote from the handle portion is beveled ,at

the bottom of thebar the notch or recess is:

decreased in cross sectional area to form flanges 7 at each side of the notch or recess,

which will engage the opposite sides of the Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Application filed May 6, 1915. Serial No. 26,374.

Patented Feb. 8,1916.

head of the spike. "The recess above the flanges 7 is shapedflto receive thehead of the-spike, to permitthe easy-withdrawal thereof. v 1

Thebar isprovided with a pivoted foot,

the said foot consisting. of oppositely are ranged arc-shapedplates or levers 8,which are secured together at one end by means 01' across portion 9, the said portion being in tegral with the members or secured thereto in any desired manner. Each' of the said plates or levers Sis provided at one end with a bill or hook 10, which will engageover v I the head of a rail, as shown in Figs.-1 and.

2, and said hooks are at the opposite ends of the'plates or levers from the connection 9. It will be noticed that the plates orlevers 8 grad'ually increase in width from the bill or hook 10 to the connection 9, and each plateor lever is provided'with' an opening at the end adjacent to the connection 9. Each of the said openings consists of three connected notches or portions 11, 12 and 13, the open- I ing being so arranged that the portions 11,

12 and 13 will be separated from each other by inwardly extending lugs or extensions 14,-

and apivot pin15 is arranged transversely of the head 5 of'the handle portion of the bar,th'e-s'aid 'pinextending on opposite sides of the head and engaging the openings11' 1213 of the plates or levers. Thus'the pin by its engagement with the openings, pivotally connects the levers or plates to the handle portion, and the ends of the pin may be engaged with either portion of the openings. It will be understood that the open ings of the two plates or levers are similarly arranged so that the openings 111213 of the plates are in register. 7 V

In drawing a spikefrom a tie, for instance, with the usual form of claw bar, the

.bar is engaged with the head ofthe spike,

and the tie furnishes the" fulcrum upon which the claw bar's'wings to draw the spike; Since the tie is of yielding material, and since as a rule when a spike is to be drawn it is because the tie is unsound','it isvery clifficult'to draw the spike, because of the unsound condition of the tie, The tie decays ,asa rule around the spikes, so that a plate or plug must belaid upon the tie to provide a solidsurface for the claw bar to rest upon. This plate, however, raises the claw bar so that it is diflicult to engage the bar with the head of the spike, andin ad'- dition the bar is very liable to slip on the tie.

The pivoted foot of the claw bar forms a shackle, for engaging the rail during the pulling of the spike, as shown in F igs. 1 and 2, to provide a double fulcrum, the hook 10, engagingthe head of the rail while the heel of the foot or shackle engages the tie.

With the parts arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when the notch or recess 6 is engaged with the head of the spike 3, and downward pressure is exerted upon the outer end of the handle portion of the bar, the

' handle portion of the bar will swing upon the pivot pin 15 which rests in the portion 12 of the opening, and the shackle will provide a firm and rigid and immovable support upon which the bar may be swung. The greater the pressure on the outer end of the bar, the more firmly is the spike head engaged with the recess, and there is no tendency of the spike to slip out of the recess, as is the case with theordinary claw bar. With the ordinary bar, the bar fulcrums on that portion of the end of the bar adjacent to the claw, and it will be evident that as the bar swings upward, it must move away from the spike, so that the farther the spike is pulled the looser becomes the engagement between the bar and the spike. Vith the present construction, however, the claw retains its firm engagement with the spike throughout the pulling operation.

In the use of the improvement, Fig. 1

shows the commencement of the operation, 1 the hook 10 being engaged with the rail, so

that when the bar is forced down into the position shown in Fig. 2, the claw is forced under the head of the spike. A further downward movement of the bar pulls the spike the bar swinging on the pivot pin 15 as a fulcrum until the back of the bar 5 comes in contact with the edge of the cross portion 9. When now the downward-movement is continued, the bar continues to pull the spike, but now uses the connecting portion 9 as a fulcrum. This change of fulcrum permits the spike to be pulled the entire distance with one downward movement of the bar. Thus the bar automatically changes the fulcrum as it is swung. With the usual bar the change in fulcrum must be brought about by raising the bar, placing a block of Wood or the like under the bar for a heel.

At intermediate points on the rail, where the spike engages the base flanges directly, the pivot pin 15 will engage the portion 12 of the openings of the shackle. When, however, the spike occurs at fish plates 16, as shown in Fig. 5, the spike, since it engages the outer edge of the fish plate, is farther removed from the web of the rail, and it would be diflicult to engage the claw with the head of the spike with the pivot pin in the notch or portion 12 of the opening of the shackle. Hence the pin is engaged with the notch or portion 13 of the opening of the shackle, and the operation is precisely the same as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

I It will be noticed that the heel of the shackle consists of two portions 17 and 18, the former beingadjacent to the hook and the latter being adjacent to the convex surfaces of the plates, and these surfaces provide for a rocking movement of the shackle during the operation of pulling a spike, or the said portions provide different fulcrums.

The principal function of the hook 10 is to hold the claw against the spike, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, so that a downward movement of the bar forces the claw under the head of the spike.

With the ordinary form of claw bar, the spike is usually bent as the bar swings upward, and one of the principal advantages of the present construction is that the spikes are pulled straight, thus permitting the spikes to be re-used without the necessity for straightening them.

It will be evident that with the improved bar the claw is forced under the head of the spike by the movement of the bar instead of it being necessary to drive the claw into engagement with the head by striking the bar at the spike, or by using a sledge. V

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a claw bar consisting of a handle portion having a head at one end provided with a point and having a notch or recess at the point forming a claw for engaging the head of a spike, and a shackle pivotally connected with the head and having a hook for engaging over a rail and a heel at the opposite end for engaging the tie, said shackle comprising a pair of similar and similarly arranged arcshaped' plates arranged on opposite sides of the head, the head having a transverse pivot pin extending beyond the opposite faces of the head, and each plate having an opening provided with three notches for engagement by the adjacent end of the pin,

said notches being spaced apart from each other and the notches of the plates being similarly arranged and being adjacent to the heel and the shackle, said plates being coni nected at the end remote from the hook by a transverse connection, and the openings being adj acent to the connection.

2. As an article of manufacture, a claw bar consisting of a handle portion having a head at one end provided with a point and having a notch or recess at the point forming a claw for engaging the head of a spike, and a shackle pivotally connected with the head and having a hook for engaging over a rail and a heel at theopposite end for engaging the tie, said shackle comprising a pair .of similar and similarly arranged arc-shaped plates arranged on op:

posite sides of the head, the head having a transverse pivot pin extending beyond the from each other, and the notches of the plates belng similarly arranged and being adjacent to the heel of the shackle.

3. As an article of manufacture, a claw bar havlng at one end a claw for engaging the head of a splke, a shackle permanently connected with the bar by a swinging con- Y nection, the shackle havmg a hookat one end for'engaging over a rail and a heel at the opposite end forengaglngthe'tie, said connectlon comprising a slotted opening extending transversely of the shackle, and a pivot pin on the bar for engaging the opening, said opening having recesses or depressions at the opposite ends thereof, for perinittingthe pivot pin to be adjusted transversely of the shackle.

4. As an article of manufacture, a claw bar head of a spike, and a shackle permanently connected Withthe bar by a swinging conhaving at one end a claw for engagingthe v nection, said connection comprising an opening extending transversely of the shackle" and a pivot pin for engaging the opening,

said opening'h'aving recesses or depressions at the oppositeends thereof for engagement by the pivot pin to permit the said pin to be adjusted transversely-of the shackle.

' JAMES GROVER VIN'SON.

. WVitnesses:

J .T. CHANDLER,

J. C. KENNERE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressin'g; the Commissioner'of Patents,

' Washington, D. O. V 

